New CARFAX data found nearly 17 million vehicles on U.S. roads started 2025 with expired tags.

The average lag for most drivers with expired tags is about four months, CARFAX data shows, more than enough time for fines or other penalties to accumulate.

Some states have penalties that can run up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars. In some instances, drivers can face jail time for repeat offenses, including in New York state, Florida, Washington, and Georgia, according to their DMV sites.

For example, in California, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) says that if a vehicle’s registration has been expired for more than six months, law enforcement may order it towed or impounded. And although jail time isn’t typical, that decision “would be up to a judge”.

And in Massachusetts, one out-of-state driver learned the hard way just how crucial it is to keep vehicle registration up to date, after a state trooper impounded his car and he was left stranded on the roadside. “Just a warning to others,” he said. “Don’t let something like this, that can be quickly taken care of, slip through the cracks.”